THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_______________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release October 24,
2000
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
Today, I am extremely pleased to sign the Breast and Cervical Cancer
Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000, which invests over $990 million over
10 years in an important new health option for thousands of low-income,
uninsured women with breast or cervical cancer. I was proud to include it
in my FY 2001 budget, and I am proud to sign this bipartisan legislation
into law.
Women without health insurance are 40 percent more likely to die from
breast cancer than those who are insured. Not only are they less likely to
be screened, but the course of treatment they elect is often affected by
their ability to pay for services. This important legislation will expand
the limited treatment options now available to low-income, uninsured women
with breast cancer who are in the unique situation of learning about their
condition through federally sponsored screening programs.
The new assistance today?s action will provide for thousands of women
with breast or cervical cancer continues my Administration?s longstanding
commitment to breast and cervical cancer research, prevention, and
treatment. It builds on a record of Administration achievements that
includes legislation to ensure the quality of mammograms and prevent
drive-by mastectomies; increasing access to cancer clinical trials; and
increasing funding for breast and cervical cancer research, prevention, and
treatment from $283 million to over $620 million during my Administration.
As important as today?s achievement is, we have many health care
issues that still must be addressed. I urge the Congress to pass
additional coverage expansions including a new, affordable health insurance
option for parents and new health insurance options for Americans facing
unique barriers to coverage, such as those aged 55 to 65, workers in small
businesses, and legal immigrants. I also urge the Congress to pass
legislation streamlining the enrollment of uninsured children in health
insurance programs. Taking these long overdue steps will bring us closer
to our larger goal -- ensuring that every American has access to high
quality, affordable health insurance.
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